Jenny’s eyes flicker with disdain as if Mason’s presence is completely beneath her notice. Her gaze settles on me again, cold and calculating. “You think you’re special because you have his mark?” she scoffs, her voice dripping with condescension. “It won’t last. When Chad realizes what he needs, what hedeserves,you’ll be nothing but a memory. Betas aren’t meant to keep omegas. They’re good at manual labor, nothing more than servants. Fetching things,” she says again, her eyes dropping to the coffee tray I’m still clutching, “Amusing the omega when they are bored. But never truly part of the pack.”
Before I can even process the sting of her words, Mason’s arm tightens around my waist, his voice cutting through the tension like steel. “Back off.”
She doesn’t even look at him. It’s like he doesn’t exist. Her eyes remain glued to me, her smile sickly sweet but eyes blazing with something close to madness. “Chad will come to his senses. You’ll see. An alpha belongs with an omega. And when he’s ready for something real, I’ll be the one he turns to.”
I feel the pit in my stomach grow, but before I can respond, Mason steps forward, pulling me closer to him. His presence looms larger, protective, the usual easy confidence in his voice sharpened to a warning edge. “Chad’s already with us. Lakelynand I are his pack now. And you need to understand something—I’mhis alpha.”
Jenny’s eyes snap to him, narrowing, and for the first time, she truly sees him. Her lip curls, barely concealing her disgust. “You? You think you’re enough to keep Chad satisfied?” She gives a cruel laugh, but it’s brittle, revealing cracks beneath her composure. “You’re just a little fling, his walk on the wrong side of the tracks until he realizes what he could have with someone like me.”
The pieces start clicking into place. The way she acted when I first saw her at the country club—how her eyes followed Chad everywhere, the way she seemed to hover, always watching him. Now, her obsession is clear, and it’s terrifying.
She’s been fixating on him this whole time. She did watch him at the country club, not just the time we arrived together, but now that I think back on it, she was always hovering in the background. And Chad said she offered him a ride, almost insisting on it.
Mason doesn’t flinch, though. His voice stays calm, but there’s an unmistakable threat in his tone. “Chad knows exactly what he wants. And it’s not you. You’re wasting your time.”
Jenny’s face contorts with anger, her sugary facade a distant memory. She steps forward, looking between the two of us as if trying to regain control of the situation. “He’ll come to me,” she hisses, eyes flashing. “Just wait. You’ll see.”
I’m about to speak, but Mason beats me to it, his voice unyielding. “No, he won’t. Chad’s ours. Lakelyn and I are all the pack he needs.”
There’s a split second where she looks like she might argue again, but something flickers in her eyes—something unhinged—and she whips around, storming out of the coffee shop. The door slams behind her, rattling the glass.
For a long moment, I just stand there, my body still tense from the confrontation. Then I turn to Mason, who’s watching the door with a deep frown on his face.
“What the hell was that?” I ask, trying to wrap my mind around everything that just happened.
Mason shakes his head, his hand still resting possessively at my waist. “She’s losing it. I’ve seen alpha jealousy before, but that...”
“She’s been stalking Chad,” I murmur, the realization hitting me hard. “The way she was acting at the country club—always watching him. It isn’t normal. Then Chad said the other night she tried to get him into her car, and now... this?”
Mason’s jaw tightens, his eyes darkening as he processes what I’m saying. “She’s not just jealous, Lake. She’s obsessed.”
A chill runs through me, my chest tightening at the thought of Chad being caught in the crosshairs of someone so unstable. I take a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. “We need to tell him. He has no idea.”
Mason’s hand rests against my back, warm and grounding, but his voice lowers, more serious. “You think it could’ve been her? At the shop? The break-in?”
The idea sends a wave of unease through me. “I don’t know,” I say, shaking my head slowly. “But the way she’s acting, it wouldn’t surprise me.”
“Where is he now?” Mason asks, his eyes scanning the café as if searching for Chad.
I swallow hard, my mouth suddenly feeling dry. “He should be here any minute.”
I’m not wrong, because he comes barreling into the coffee shop like it’s on fire and he needs to save everyone inside. He’s in front of me, my face cupped in his hands, his eyes frantic as he searches my face for something, then he leans back and examines my body.
“What happened?” he asks, his eyes still running over me. “I felt—you, and it felt like you were distressed and unhappy.” He shifts his gaze to Mason as if seeing him for the first time. “Did you make her feel that way?”
Mason scoffs, rolling his eyes as he leans against the counter. “Does that sound like something I’d make her feel?”
A hint of a smile flickers on Chad’s lips, the tension easing from his shoulders just a bit. “No, Alpha.”
Mason inhales deeply, and I can practically see the gears turning in his mind as the term “Alpha” lingers in the air. It’s like a spark igniting, and the heat radiating off both of them feels almost palpable. An awareness blooms through my bond with Chad, an electric charge that sends shivers down my spine.
Chad’s aroused, and it’s seeping into me through the bond. I take a steadying breath, trying to gather myself. If this is what he’s like not even in a heat, I can’t imagine what I’ll feel during one. Jenny’s words about me not being enough echo in my mind and a small, nagging doubt curls in my stomach. Could I really be enough for him when his need is more than this?
Chad’s gaze snaps back to mine, darkened with a mix of protectiveness and raw desire. Despite the overwhelming heat rolling off him, he puts me first. “You sure you’re okay?” he asks, voice low, his hand resting on my arm, grounding me.
I nod, trying to shake off the pure lust flooding my senses. It's not just coming from him—I feel it, too. “Really, I’m fine. Just some drama with Jenny.”
His brow crinkles, some of that desire ebbing away, replaced by confusion. “Jenny?” he asks, sounding baffled.
